Forget You Had A Daughter Book Review

Forget You Had A Daughter – Sandra Gregory

Blurb: Sandra Gregory seemed to have the perfect life in Bangkok – until illness, unemployment and political unrest turned it into a nightmare. Desperate to get home by any means possible, she agreed to smuggle an addict’s personal supply of heroin. She didn’t even make it onto the plane.

In this remarkably candid memoir, Sandra Gregory tells the full story of the events leading up to her arrest, the horrific conditions in Lard Yao prison, her trial in a language she didn’t understand and how it feels to be sentenced to death.

Sandra finally resumed her journey home some four and a half years later, when she was transferred to the British prison system and had to adapt to a new, yet equally harsh, regime. Following relentless campaigning by her parents – who refused to forget they had a daughter – she was pardoned by the King of Thailand and released in 2000.

Forget You Had a Daughter is the extraordinary story of an ordinary British woman who made a mistake that changed the rest of her life.

Review: I like to read non fiction sometimes. This book gripped me straight away. What a sad story. I cannot believe the conditions of the prisons in Thailand, and the treatment received in UK prisons. This woman’s sentence was far too harsh, especially when compared with criminals that receive more lenient sentences for doing worse crimes. Sandra learnt her lesson instantly, told the truth at trial and kept out of trouble throughout, but it didn’t seem to help her case at all, and she was dealt a lot of bad luck. The book is extremely interesting, giving you an insight into prison life and prisoners, such as Rose West, and what she was like. It was also heartbreaking to read about an innocent woman who had served two decades in prison, whereby corrupt legal systems failed to mention extremely important evidence from the jury which could have proved the woman’s innocence. This story is captivating, emotional and a brilliant read. Sandra is brave, and she did her time for the crime. I hope this woman is happy in her life now, and I really do wish her all the best. And her parents were amazing, never forgetting they had a daughter.